Chapter 222

"..." "? You were a victim too?" "Don't think I don't know you got that chicken dinner!" "You've been caught." Even after being caught, Xia Yan didn't show any embarrassment. Instead, he seriously started taking notes and listening to the lecture again. As a man who was also aiming for a scholarship this semester, Xia Yan had never neglected his studies. "Heh heh." Hua Xin also dropped her sarcastic tone, idly leaning against the wall scrolling through her phone, not wanting to discuss the issue any further. You know, too much talk leads to mistakes. Uh, this girl is really pretty. The girl happily tapped hearts and added items to her favorites on her phone screen, now shattered into over three thousand pieces, increasingly feeling like she wanted to do something naughty. Xia Yan had just finished diligently writing down a knowledge point when he saw that the teacher wasn't continuing the lesson but instead reminiscing about past glories, so he decided to take a short break. Sometimes, when teachers talk about things unrelated to the lesson, it's probably a way of letting students rest, right? He nodded silently, looking at the half-written page in his notebook, lost in thought. This teacher seems to spend two-thirds of the class telling stories... Sometimes I don't need to work so hard... After all, university studies aren't very useful; most courses are just for a final exam score. Turning his head slightly, Xia Yan was about to ask Hua Xin if she wanted to go to their secret base for a meal after class, since it was almost 4 PM. Lately, Hua Xin had mostly only attended afternoon classes, never the Morning Eight O'Clock Class sessions, making Xia Yan consider talking to the counselor about having her attend classes two days a week... His phone... Xia Yan's pupils constricted, and his hand inexplicably gripped the pen tightly. A memory buried deep in his mind suddenly resurfaced, spanning several months. For similar situations where he suddenly felt he'd seen a scene, a person, or an object somewhere before, it might be due to some kind of "Wahaha effect." But now, Xia Yan felt it wasn't like that. "What's wrong?" "If you want to treat me to a meal, just say so. Don't be so clueless." "Sure enough, the more you study, the dumber you become..." Hua Xin wrapped her phone in her arms, quickly concealing the fleeting moment with her clothes and arms. She continued to mutter to herself, clearly still heartbroken over the lost computer. Only with Xia Yan could she speak so freely. "Ah..." "My scholarship is coming soon." Xia Yan turned back to his notebook, but his mind wasn't on the words before him. He dismissed his doubts and confusion, trying to remain calm as he said, "When..." "I'll treat you to dinner." Xia Yan paused, his eyes deep and somber, before finally uttering the two words softly, as if speaking to the girl, yet also to himself. "Lao Hua." "167. Bad Woman? The long-lost school rooftop. Aside from a very small chance of maintenance workers coming to routinely maintain the rooftop's safety netting, no one ever comes to the top floor, let alone through the seemingly securely closed but actually easily opened security door. On the somewhat cracked ground, some freely growing plants occasionally grow in the cracks—perhaps blown up by the wind? Or perhaps a bird carried a seed that just happened to land here. Nature, in the passage of time, is not stingy with its miracles. This place has become Hua Xin and Xia Yan's little base. When there's nothing to do or work-related, the two of them will come here to enjoy the breeze after class. The wind on the rooftop is usually very strong, so the girl often pulls her hood up to avoid it being blown open. "Shall I take you home later?" "Or should we grab a bite to eat together?" " Xia Yan looked at the bustling traffic below the high-rise building and said softly to Hua Xin beside him, as usual. The noise and honking below did not disturb the two of them at this moment. "Forget it... I'll go back by myself." "As for food... Hehe, let's talk about it when you get your scholarship. I don't want to eat you out of house and home." Hua Xin waved her hand casually, then turned to leave and headed towards the gate not far away. She wanted to go home early and see if she could pray to her computer to come back to life. Although she knew nothing about repairing computers, she could at least bow a couple of times and pray. What if it suddenly woke up and was fine? Sigh, why is life always so ups and downs... "Lao Hua..." Xia Yan also turned around after her, his eyes fixed on the girl's back, and he unconsciously called out to Hua Xin. "What's wrong?" Hua Xin turned to look at him, somewhat puzzled, and a moment of awkward silence ensued. Xia Yan let out a soft breath, his gaze fixed on Hua Xin, whose face was shrouded in a hoodie and mask, with only her eyes vaguely visible. The next moment, he suddenly chuckled, the inexplicable seriousness and silence on his face returning to the shrimp-like expression he only showed when he was with Hua Xin. His tone became indifferent and calm: "Nothing, I just wanted to ask how Chun Qiu is doing lately." "As he spoke, he walked towards the door. " Chun Qiu..."Hua Xin thought of the once agile campus bully who had become a lazy bum who only lay at home, and felt utterly helpless. This month, she was almost overwhelmed just by the amount of cat food she ate. Although Sister Li Xue would give her a discount when buying cat food from the store, and sometimes even give her a free bag, it still couldn't keep up with Chun Qiu's four meals a day... Hua Xin was a little worried that Chun Qiu might have some health problems from eating like that. But later, when Chun Qiu was working part-time at the cat cafe, Brother Shan Qing took him to see a vet. Hmm... good appetite, fast digestion, he eats everything and is fine. "He's doing great, he can eat four big bowls every day." The girl opened the door, then propped it open so that Xia Yan could follow her in. She walked slowly up the steps, the lights that were always on until curfew when the doors were locked were still bright. She asked warily, "You're not thinking of releasing him back onto campus, are you?" "I can't bear to!" "You like it, it agrees, why would I let it come back? Let's get along with it. Kidnapping instead of buying is a good thing."Xia Yan explained helplessly, indicating that he didn't intend to take Chun Qiu away from her. The two entered the elevator. The entire enclosed space contained only the two of them. Xia Yan subtly moved closer to the girl, the obvious height difference allowing him to see the cat hair still clinging to his clothes with just a slight tilt of his head. "I was just asking how it is now." "I saw a cat that looked a lot like it before, and I was worried it might get as fat as that cat." "Your...girlfriend's cat?" After a slight hesitation, Hua Xin crossed her arms and continued, " Chun Qiu is alright...not too fat, just like the one I sent you before." As she spoke, a hint of guilt flashed in the girl's eyes as she looked at the closed elevator doors. Don't ask anymore, bro. If you ask again, she might really...